Abstract:
Sodium filled skutterudite NaFe
4P
12 whiskers and nanowires were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method. Skutterudite-polyaniline thermoelectric composite was prepared by
in situ compounding using an emulsion polymerization method. The nanowires and whiskers as well as the composites were characterized by infrared spectra UV/VIs spectra and X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscope observation on the composite was carried out to investigate the morphology and growth mechanism of polyaniline on the surface of the skutterudite wires. Polyaniline can be compounded on the surface of the wires. In some samples, polyaniline grows as a brush structure on the surface of the NaFe
4P
12 whisker.